fetter
/ˈfɛt.ɚ/noun, verb
fetter is spelled F-E-T-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fetter means “A chain or similar object used to bind a person or animal, often by its legs” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fetter is fetters.
How many letters and syllables are in fetter?
| Letters | 6: F-E-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 84,254th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fetter?
Fetter appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce fetter?
- Australia /ˈfet.ə/
- UK /ˈfɛt.ə/
- US /ˈfɛt.ɚ/
Fetter has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-fetter.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fetter?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fetter from its last stressed vowel (/ɛtəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of fetter
- fetters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- fettering participle, present
- fettered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fetter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A chain or similar object used to bind a person or animal, often by its legs.
- 2
Anything that restricts or restrains.
verb
- 1
To shackle or bind up with fetters.
- 2
To restrain or impede; to hamper.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fetter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | entrave, fers , obstacle , entraver |
| German | Fessel, Fußfessel, Fußschelle |
| Portuguese | ferros, grilhões, grilhetas, peia , agrilhoar |
| Spanish | grillos, pihuelas, manea, pihuela, grillete, apea |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does fetter come from?
From Middle English feter, from Old English feter, Proto-West Germanic *fetur, from Proto-Germanic *feturaz (“fetter”), from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (“to step, walk; to fall, stumble”). Related to foot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).